Gingersnap
by MythGirl Writes
Summary: Winter is one of Diamond's favorite seasons, especially when he gets to bake for his friends.


**This one is from a discord server I'm in for pokespe! I'm proud of this one, especially since I had just finished reading the DPPT arcs! Merry Christmas y'all!**

* * *

By November tenth, the local radio stations all shifted into holiday mode. Nonstop Christmas music from that point on. Which, naturally, meant that Dia shifted into holiday mode.

His mom made him wait until the first of December to decorate the rest of the house, so his room was his holiday corner. He didn't have much in there, anyway, save for a tiny tree with even tinier ornaments and holiday recipes on his desk. Still, it was leagues more spirited than the rest of the house, at least until December rolled around.

Once that point was reached, it was no holds barred.

But what really got him into the holiday spirit was baking holiday treats. There was something about it that felt better than baking at other times of the year. For the life of him, he couldn't put a finger on what it was. Maybe it was the diversity of flavors, of the warmth. Either way, he liked it.

"You're going to spoil everyone with those," his mom said as he started a new batch of his favorite cookies: gingersnaps. She didn't even need to look over her book to tell what he was doing. She knew the sound of him in the kitchen well.

"I'm making extra for Platina to send to her sister." Especially recently, Platina often spoke of how her sister was doing in Alola, how odd it would be without her in Sinnoh for the holidays. Dia figured it would be a nice gift, something a bit more meaningful. "There'll be plenty for us even after that."

Lax hung out by the fireplace with his mom's glameow, toasty warm. Dia wished it weren't too cold to let his other pokemon out, but there wasn't enough room in their small house. Sinnoh always got plenty of snow around this time of year, too. He doubted his pokemon would appreciate being put in the snow longer than they had to.

He could feel some of the warmth from the kitchen, just enough to keep him warm while moving around but also enough that he wasn't too hot. Maybe it was just him, but baking for his friends always made him feel warm and put him in a good mood. Seeing their reactions to his treats always put a smile on his face. There was just nothing better than seeing them enjoy what he made.

He put the batch in the oven and set the timer before stepping back to admire his mostly clean workspace. Contrary to what his mom joked from time to time, he only usually made a mess when Pearl or Platina were baking with him for whatever reason. Clean workspaces were hard to come by.

He turned on the radio while he did the dishes, humming under his breath to the array of Christmas songs. As long as he had something to listen to or someone to talk to, he didn't mind doing the dishes. It was methodical, something he appreciated.

By the time everything was washed, dried, and put away, the cookies were almost done. And, from the look of them, they were perfectly done, thanks to many years' experience. "Those smell amazing," his mom said, glancing over from the other room. "Need a taste-tester?"

He turned the timer off before it could beep and took the cookie sheet out. "When they cool, sure." He knew his mom would give him an honest opinion of them. He also knew she just wanted something sweet, which was fine with him. He was barely resisting stealing one for himself, even though he knew he would burn his hand and mouth that way.

His mom started drifting closer minute by minute, her book abandoned. She would definitely steal a cookie if he wasn't careful. Actually, she probably would anyway, so he turned a blind eye and looked instead to the boxes he prepared. Each would hold about a dozen cookies, and each was decorated with wrapping paper and a bow to look like a gift. Which, technically, they were. He always liked the presentation of that, and it used up some of the decorative boxes they had too many of.

"This is my favorite part of winter," his mom said, a half-eaten cookie in her hand. Obviously she liked them. "Really makes it feel like the holiday season."

He held his hands out in front of the oven, warming them up a little. The controlled heat of the oven was so much better (and much less stressful) than when his kitchen randomly caught on fire. For whatever reason, that seemed to happen when Pearl came over and helped him in the kitchen. It was uncanny, really. It didn't even lessen when Platina was with them. And it only ever happened in his kitchen.

He tried one for himself then, breaking off a bit of one of the smaller cookies. It was still warm, the perfect blend of chewy and crunchy. He could taste all of the spices and intermixed flavors, though he was more finely-tuned to them than his friends would be. As long as it tasted good, they would love them. And they tasted amazing.

Perfect. He was going to see Pearl and Platina tomorrow anyway, so he had the perfect opportunity to give them the cookies. If it weren't so cold out, they might've had a picnic at Lake Verity or something like that, but instead they were hanging out at Pearl's house.

Once the cookies were cool, he packaged them up and set the boxes aside. "These last few are for us," he said, noticing his mom eyeing them hungrily. He wasn't going to stop her from having another. "A nice treat for a good season."

"If you give me a minute, I'll make some hot chocolate so we can drink to that," his mom said, already getting out mugs. Even more perfect.

He didn't mention it enough, not by a long shot, but he liked hanging out with his mom. She was family, after all. What better way to spend the holiday season than with family?


End file.
